The Inner Circle: The Knowing by Cael McIntosh

seeol. He’ll probably feel like he’s
forgotten something, but he won’t be able to work out
what.’
    ‘ All right let’s do
it,’ Seteal shuffled forward excitedly, forgetting the fear she’d
once had for the adorable bit of fluff staring up at her. ‘If
you’re so confident in your abilities that you’re willing to take
the risk, then so am I.’ She leaned toward Seeol. ‘I’m Seteal,
you’re Seeol,’ she said to the animal.
    ‘ I’m Seteal, you’re
Seeol,’ the bird replied, pointing first at Seteal and then to
himself.
    ‘ No, no.’ Seteal
shook her finger then placed both hands to her chest. ‘I’m Seteal.’
She paused for a moment and then pointed at Seeol. ‘I’m
Seeol.’
    ‘ I’m Seeol,’ the bird
replied. ‘You’re Seteal.’ He bobbed his head excitedly.
    ‘ Fast learner.’
El-i-miir swallowed nervously.
     
    *
     
    ‘ That will do for
today,’ Far-a-mael called back, snapping Seteal free of her
thoughts. A look at the sky informed her of the time, with the sun
sitting fat and orange on the horizon. Another day was on the verge
of completion. Seteal had never spent so much time on horseback and
was thoroughly tired of doing so.
    ‘ That will do for
today,’ Seteal’s bag croaked--or rather its inhabitant did--from
its place on her lap.
    ‘ Be quiet,’ Seteal
cautioned the owl, momentarily opening her bag to reveal his
feathery face in disarray. ‘You’ll get us in trouble,’ she
whispered sternly before closing the bag and sliding off her
horse.
    ‘ Sorry,’ the bird
replied dejectedly.
    Since the previous night, not only had
Seeol picked up more words and their proper usage than Seteal had
anticipated, but he’d also learnt to manipulate intonation.
    ‘ I’ll help set up the
tents,’ Seteal volunteered as she passed by Far-a-mael and made her
way over to El-i-miir. ‘He keeps talking,’ she hissed. ‘I’ve been
struggling all day to keep him quiet, but nothing seems to
work.’
    ‘ This was your idea,’
El-i-miir replied irritably as she tied the horses to a
tree.
    ‘ No way,’ Seteal
growled. ‘You’re not weaselling out of this now. You promised you’d
help.’
    ‘ Listen.’ El-i-miir
turned aggressively. ‘I was more than just a little bit
drunk!’
    ‘ That’s not my
problem,’ Seteal said beneath her breath as Far-a-mael passed by.
‘Can’t you do something to make him shut up?’
    ‘ No,’ El-i-miir said
firmly. ‘He has no aura. I’m powerless over him.’
    ‘ Well, what about
Far-a-mael?’ Seteal looked over at the old man, who was glancing
about the clearing, scratching his head as though he’d lost
something.
    ‘ Don’t worry about
him,’ El-i-miir reassured her. ‘Just keep the bird quiet and leave
Gil’rei Far-a-mael to me.’
    As the sun disappeared from the
world, Seteal assisted El-i-miir in setting up the tents while
Far-a-mael trekked into the woods alone to return later with a
couple of rabbits. By now, Seteal had come to the conclusion that
he was likely affiliating them into hopping right over. Suddenly
his hunting skills seemed less impressive. All he had to do was
bend over and pick them up.
    ‘ Come with me,’
Far-a-mael said after they’d finished dinner. He stood up and
tossed his scraps into the fire.
    ‘ Where are we going?’
Seteal asked fearfully, having dropped some rabbit into her bag for
Seeol just moments earlier.
    ‘ If you care to go on
living . . .’ Far-a-mael crossed his arms, clearly irritated by her
having questioned him, ‘. . . you’ll accompany me to my tent where
we can begin your lessons.’
    Seteal slid her bag across the earth
toward El-i-miir before warily following after Far-a-mael.
    ‘ Sit,’ the old man
said as he sat cross-legged on the floor. Seteal attempted to
replicate his position, but it hurt her knees and proved to be too
difficult.
    ‘ Is it really
necessary to sit like that?’ she complained, eyeing the way
Far-a-mael sat with his hands face-up on his knees,